


The Christmas Cold

by icandrawamoth



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Party, Common Cold, F/M, Fluff, Married Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-27
Updated: 2014-12-27
Packaged: 2018-03-03 19:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2875073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icandrawamoth/pseuds/icandrawamoth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Combeferre is sidelined by a killer cold during the annual Christmas party he and Éponine host for their friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Christmas Cold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [textsfromeponinet on Tumblr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=textsfromeponinet+on+Tumblr).



> Late Christmas ficlet for my lovely textsfromeponinet, without whom I never would have been writing this pairing. :)
> 
> Inspired by my dad's poor girlfriend who spent the holiday in Combeferre's position while he was adorable with her and my uncle was Courf.

Combeferre groaned and curled a little tighter into a ball on the bed. He felt awful. He had a fever, he felt nauseated, his head pounded, and even though he'd already slept far more than usual, he was _tired_. Of course it would be on Christmas. Combeferre rarely got seriously ill, but of course this killer cold had hit him on the holiday. He could hear the rest of his friends out in the living room enjoying their annual Christmas party and longed to join them, though the idea of leaving his bed seemed impossible.

Éponine had offered to call the party off, pointing out that between all of them they could certainly find someone else's house to hold it at so Combeferre could rest uninterrupted. Combeferre had said no, he would be fine, and it was a tradition. At least if he was stuck in bed, if everyone was there, he could still experience it vicariously, and maybe at some point he would have the energy to actually join them.

There was soft knock on the bedroom door, and Combeferre looked up, not bothering to move from under his blanket cocoon. "Come in," he rasped.

Éponine slipped inside, leaving the door open just a bit to let some light into the room. Despite how he felt, Combeferre couldn't help but smile when he saw his wife. She was wearing a red and green Christmas sweater complete with stitched reindeer with blinking red nose, and a Santa hat bobbed atop her dark hair. 

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" she asked as she came towards him, holding a plate in both hands. "We're eating now; I brought you a little of everything. Do you think you can eat?"

"Still not feeling great," Combeferre answered, murmuring a thank you as she set the plates on the nightstand helped him sit up. He looked at the plate laden with goodies - ham and turkey, a roll, Bahorel's mushroom rice dish, Jehan's banana cream pie, Cosette's famous marshmallow nut bars - things he always looked forward to. His empty stomach grumbled, the nausea receding a little. "Yeah, I think I can."

Éponine smiled, arranging the blankets around him where he sat and taking a spot next to him before retrieving their plates. "Good."

"You don't have to stay with me," Combeferre told her. "Go, be with the others, have fun." He could hear them out there, voices raised with laughter as someone told a particularly funny story. 

His wife raised an eyebrow at him. "You got a problem with me wanting a spend a bit of Christmas with my sick husband?"

Combeferre chuckled, curbing the urge to kiss her, not wanting to spread his germs, reaching to squeeze her hand instead. "Of course not. Thank you, love. I'm just sorry you had to get everything ready and host all on your own. It's not fair."

Éponine shrugged it off. "I don't mind. It's not like you planned this, and a lot of it was ready last night anyway. And you know I love spending time with our friends as much as you do, and everyone has been so nice with offering to help where they can."

"I'm glad." They ate in silence for awhile, Combeferre trying not to consume too much too fast and make himself sick, though everything was delicious. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.

Suddenly there was a commotion at the door, and they looked up to see Courfeyrac and Grantaire bursting into the room, the rest crowded in the hall behind them. 

"Is he alive?" Courfeyrac demanded good-naturedly. "We haven't seen him all day." 

"You could be hiding his dead body back here for all we know," Grantaire added sagely. 

Combeferre watched, amused, as Éponine glared at them, clearly trying to stifle a giggle. "Ferre is _sick_ and needs his rest, not to be harassed by everyone."

"And you're all going to get sick too if you go in there!" Joly cried from the back of the group. He almost hadn't come at all when heard about his friend's condition. 

Courfeyrac waved them both off. "We'll let him rest, but can't we see our friend in Christmas?"

"You're seeing me now," Combeferre deadpanned, then couldn't help breaking into a grin, followed by a cough. 

Courfeyrac frowned. "You sound awful."

"Kind of why I'm being quarantined back here," Combeferre teased. 

"Do you think you'll feel well enough to come out when we open presents?" Jehan had edged to the front of the group at the door and gave him a plaintive look.

"I-"

"Can't say no, of course," Éponine sighed fondly. "After you've eaten and rested a little more, we'll get you settled on the couch with your blankets for presents. Then straight back to bed, you hear me?"

A little cheer went up from the assembled crowd, and Combeferre smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am indeed," she said. "Now everyone out, please." With some grumbling and a few shouts of "get well, man!" they obeyed.

"I feel bad that I'm not spending more time with them," Combeferre admitted when they were alone. 

"You see them almost every day," Éponine pointed out. "I get that it's Christmas and you're supposed to spend it with people you love, but I know they understand. They want you to feel better too."

"I know." He swayed a bit where he sat, suddenly exhausted though all he'd done was eat a little and have a brief conversation. 

Concern flashed across Éponine's face as she reached out to steady him. She took his plate before he could drop it and helped ease him down to the bed. "Go back to sleep, love," she murmured. "You need to get your strength back. I'll come wake you when we're ready for presents."

He nodded, eyes already slipped closed as she leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "I love you, Combeferre."

"Love you too," he murmured back and was fast asleep before she had reached the door.


End file.
